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Brazil in shock over Ronaldo tragedy
Posted: Thursday April 13, 2000 06:51 PM
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) -- The TV images repeat endlessly like a recurring nightmare: Ronaldo feints, crumples and writhes on the field, his kneecap an obscene lump on his thigh, a brilliant career suddenly in doubt. As the Internazionale striker underwent surgery in Paris on Thursday for a ruptured tendon, a shocked nation grieved and prayed for the most talented striker in a generation. "It's one of those things that make us doubt even whether God exists," soccer legend Pele said in a radio interview. The picture of Ronaldo contorted in pain was stamped on the front page of every major Brazilian newspaper Thursday. The headlines expressed the country's fear. "A career at risk," "Ronaldo battles retirement," "May it not be the last applause," and "Fright Night Part 2," read a sampling of headlines in Rio and Sao Paulo dailies. Just two years ago, the future seemed unlimited for Ronaldo Nazario de Lima. From an unlikely start on the third-division Rio club of Sao Cristovao, it was a rocket ride to glory on Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona and Inter. At 17, he was named to Brazil's 1994 World Cup champion team to get seasoning for the future. By 21, he had twice won FIFA's Player of the Year Award, and his style and scoring talents had earned comparisons with the great Pele. No one gave much importance to the surgery he had in 1996 for calcium deposits in his knee. Many thought the teenager simply had bulked up too quickly. It only began to look serious after Brazil lost the 1998 World Cup to host France. Ronaldo, who had convulsions hours before the final and played poorly, revealed that his knees had been hurting for some time and he never had treated them properly. A year of treatment followed, but Ronaldo wasn't the same. Finally he had surgery on the tendon, and after 144 days of inactivity he made a triumphant return on Wednesday. Six minutes later, it was over. The question Brazilians are asking is whether he ever will again wear the No. 9 jersey of the national team, which seemed to be his for the next decade. At the very least, Ronaldo won't play in the 2002 World Cup qualifying games. It also is unlikely he will be in Sydney for the summer Olympics, when Brazil will seek an unprecedented gold medal. National team coach Wanderley Luxemburgo announced he would to fly to Paris on Thursday and tried to sound reassuring. "I'm sure he will be back. Other players have come back from more serious injuries," he said. Jose Luis Runco, doctor for the national team, also expressed confidence. "There's not the slightest chance he will end his career," Runco said. "With the advances in medicine, any injury can be healed."
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